Terminal for electric heating units



E. E. SUTHERLANIS TERMINAL FOR ELECTRIC HEATING UNITS Filed March 24,1924 Jan. 25, 1927.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR flow. Ernesf 51/ Mar/00a,

Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED sTA Es PATENT OFFICE; .v

ERNEST SUTHEBLAND, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELEG-TBIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TERMINAL FOBELECTBIC HEATING UNITS.

Appllcation flled March 24, 1924. Serial No. 701292.

My invention relates to electric heating units and particularly toterminal members therefor.

The object of my invention is to provide 8 a relatively small, compactand efiicient terminal member for an encased heating unit.)

.In practicing my invention, I provide an encased, elongated heatingunit comprising a heatin element, a metal gib and a cover strip, with aplurality of refractory terminal supporting members. Each of theterminal-supportmg members are located between the cover strip and thegib, in

pockets formed in the latter member adjacent to the ends thereof andhave one face in operative engagement with the surface of the coverstrip and have another portion extending through an o ening in the gib.

A suitable terminal mem r is mounted on the su porting member. In t esingle sheet of drawings,

, Figure 1 is a top plan viewof a heater embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of an i end portion thereof,

.Fig. 3 is a view of the portion illustrated in Fig. 2, partially inside elevation and partially in longitudinal section,

Fig. 4 is a view, in side elevation, of an end rtion of a modified formof unit embodylng my invention, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, bottom plan view of the portion illustrated inFig. 4.

A heating unit 11, of the encased type,

comprises an elongated, sheet metal cover member 12 and a sheet metalgib 13 that is substantially co-extensive with the cover member12.

A heating element that is located between 4 the gib and the covermember, comprises a pair of strips 14 and 15, of a suitableelectrio-insulating material, such as mica, between which is located astrip 16, of a suitable resistor member, that may be provided with aplurality of oppositely extending lateral slots to increase the lengthof the current path provided thereby, in a manner well known in the art.

The width of the cover member 12 is by providing also a good heat pathbetween the heating element and the outer surface of the heating unit,and at the same time providing an encased heating unit.

Referring more particularly to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1to 3, inclusive, the metal cover member extends a short distance beyondthe end of the resister strip 16 and still further beyond the ends ofthestrips 14 and 15 of insulating material.

An opening 19 is provided in the cover strip 12, for a purpose to behereinafter specified, and a second opening 21 is provided adjacent toeach of the outer ends of the cover strip to permit of mounting theheating unit in its proper operative position relatively to a surface ora member to be heated thereby.

The metal gib 13 is provided at each of its ends with a two-part opening22 extending therethrough and comprising a substantially circularportion and an elongated portion extending from the circular portioninwardly toward the heating unit proper.

The circular portion of the opening 22 is located co-axially with theopening 19 in the cover member.

A. refractory terminal-supporting member 23, of suitableelectric-insulating material, comprises a base portion 24 that issubstantially square in lateral section and a top portion 25 that issubstantially circular in lateral section. The bottom surface of thebase portion 24 operatively engages the inner surface of the cover strip12 and the top portion 25 is located in and extends through the circularportion of the 0 ening 22. The metal gib is bent away cm the innersurface of the end portion of the cover, member 12 in order to rovide apocket within which the base portion of the member 23 may be located asis illustrated more particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The outer end portions of the metal gib are bent at substantially rightangles to the cover strip 12 and are provided, at the extreme ends, withrelatively narrow tongue portions 26 that extend through suitableopenings 27 in the cover strip and are then bent against the outersurface of the cover strip, as is illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.This construction clamps the respective terminal supporting memberstightly in their proper operative positions in the pockets formed in themetal gib and between the opposing surfaces of the end portions of thegib and of the cover member.

A terminal member for each end of the heating unit is constituted by asuitable bolt 28 and a co-operating nut 29, a washer 31 being providedunderneath the nut 29 and the outer perforated end of the resistormember 16, to effect electrical connection between the end of theresistor member and the terminal member. The ends of supply circuitconductors (not shown) may be suitably connected to the terminal member28 in any manner well known in the art.

The outer end of the resistor member 16 is made relatively narrow as isillustrated more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and extendsaway from the cover member and through the rectangular portion of theopening 22, as is illustrated more particularly in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, in order that the outer end of the resistor member may belocated adjacent to the outer surface of the top portion 25 of theterminal supporting member.

In Fig. 4.- of the drawings, I have illustrated a modified form ofconstruction, the essential difference consisting in that the outer endof the metal gib is substantially co-extensive with the cover strip 12and extends substantially parallel thereto and in operative engagementtherewith, after having been bent at right angles to the cover strip. Anopening 32 is provided in the gib, co-axial with the opening 21 in thecover member, and any suitable securing means, such as a machine screwor bolt, employed to hold the heating unit in its proper operativeposition against a surface or material, is effective also to secure theouter end of the metal gib against the cover member, thereby holding theterminal-supporting member 23 in its proper operativeposition in thepocket in the gib.

It may be noted that the heating unit proper comprises two interfittingand elongated sheet metal members, one of which is substantially fiatand the other of which is provided with side-flanges bent therearound tohold a heating element therebetween. (The inner surfaces of the gib andof the cover member are in operative engagement with one side of anextended heating element.) It may also be noted that thetcrmiHal-supporting member is located in a pocket formed in the metalgib and held therein by the cover member, the form of the pocket beingsuch, in co-operation with the refractory terminal supporting member, asto prevent any turning movement thereof, when once installed.

Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, and I desire that only suchlimitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A terminal structure for an electric heater having an insulated,extended heating element, a metal gib substantially c0- extcnsive withand operatively engaging one side of said heating element, and a sheetmetal member operatively engaging the other side of said heating elementand having side portions folded over said gib to enclose said heatingelement, said structure comprising a refractory terminal-supportingmemb;r operatively engaging the inner surface of said sheet metal memberand extending through an opening in said gib, and a termmal membersecured to said supporting member.

"2. A terminal structure for an' encased electric heater having aninsulated, extended heating element, a metal ib substantially(o-extensive with said heating element and having an openingtherethrough at each end thereof, and a folded metal cover stripsubstantially co-extensive with said gib, said structure comprisingterminal-supporting members, of refractory electric-insulating material,operatively engaging the inner surface of said cover strip adjacent toeach end thereof and projectingthrough the-re spective openin in thegib, and terminal members extendlng through said refractory members andoperatively engaging the re spective ends of the heating element, saidends extending through the openings in the gib.

3. A terminal structure for an electric heater having an extendedheating element, ametal gib in operative engagement with one side ofsaid h ating element and having pockets formed therein beyond the endsof said heating element, and a sheet metal cover member operativelyengaging the other side of saidheating element and having side flangeportions bent over said metal gib, said structure comprisingterminalsupporting members located in said pockets in the metal gib, andterminal members extending through the respective supporting members andelectrically connected to the respective ends of the heating element.

4. A terminal structure for an electric a heater having-an extendedheating element, terminal-supporting member located in said a metal gibin operative engagement with pocket and extending through said opening10 one side thereof, having a pocket formed and held therein by'anintegral portion of therein adjacent one end thereof and an said covermember. 1

5 opening therethroug'h at said pocket, and a In testimony whereof, Ihave hereunto sheet metal cover member 0 rativelyensubscribed my namethis fourteenth day of gaging the other side of sai heating ele- March1924. ment, said structure comprising a refractory ERNEST E. SUTHERLAND.

